Senior citizens demand implementation of Insurance recommendations

Mumbai, Jan 29 (UNI) The Forum for Health Insurance of Senior Citizens today demanded immediate implementation of recommendations made by the Health Insurance Committee.

Addressing the media here, Chairman of the Forum Dr S P Kinjawadekar said only 1.08 per cent of the country's population of 110 crore is insured out of which only 20 per cent (two million) are senior citizens.

''The number is very small considering that nine crore senior citizens in the country require health care insurance,'' Mr Kinjawadekar said. ''The medi-claim policies are taken only in big cities and the companies are reluctant to penetrate the smaller towns,'' he pointed out.

Earlier, senior citizens in the country had demanded medical insurance scheme with no entry and exit age bar and covering the existing diseases at affordable costs.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) had appointed a committee under K S Sastry and the recommendations from the same were submitted to IRDA, last year.

The major recommendations include access of senior citizens to health insurance regardless of age and health condition, along with the renewal of their insurance without any upper age limit.

The recommendations also include insurance cover treatments under other systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy alongwith other recommendations made by Mr Sastry to IRDA for senior citizens.

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